In A New Light
by Real-fan05 Kin'youbi
Summary: During an argument, Squall slapped Rinoa. She thinks about breaking up with him...and does she develop feelings for someone else? Eventual Zell x Rinoa. Please R and R.
1. Please don't slap me!

Me and Ash's first fic together! You've gotta read and review, come on, I mean honestly: HAVE YOU even THOUGHT of a Zell/Rinoa before? I always liked the idea.

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_Squall..._

"Rinoa?"

_Let's kiss one more time..._

"RINOA!"

Rinoa's eyes flashed open as something slammed down on her desk. She looked up and saw Quistis glaring at her, a large textbook in her hands. _Did I fall asleep AGAIN? _There was no time to think about that anyways, because just as she opened her mouth, Quistis opened hers. "You need to stop falling asleep in class, Ms. Heartilly. You will never get the grades your father expects if you continue that habit---I suggest you pack your things and head back to your dorm. The lesson, for you, Rinoa, is finished." Several students snickered. Rinoa said nothing, just left with her cheeks burning and chin held high, books in hand. This developed more snickers.

Walking down the hall, Rinoa started to cry. She was tired of being here, but she wanted to hold it together for her friends' sake---but mostly Squall's. Their relationship had taken an odd turn, because Rinoa suspected Squall was having a fling with _none other _then Quistis. In the last few weeks, this subject had started several arguments between the two. The last had been very recent, one that was still very clear to Rinoa.

_Flashback_

"What is wrong with you?!" Rinoa huffed at her boyfriend's question and glared at him. "No, what's wrong with _you_?! You haven't been acting like you used to!" She sat on her bed and crossed her arms, a sign that she was becoming annoyed. "You ignore me, barely kiss me, and don't think I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU HANGING AROUND THE CLASSROOMS AFTER SESSIONS!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Honestly, did either of them give a damn if anyone heard?

"You just don't trust me enough!" Squall walked over to the window, maintaining his cool and collected attitude, including the same monotone.

"Who the hell said you were TRUSTWORTHY?!"

"Not everything I do has to be about you. I don't have to be there to spoil and pamper you 24/7! Besides, maybe it's _you _who's been cheating. Lately, all you've been doing is hanging around Zell! Who KNOWS WHAT YOU TWO DO!"

Rinoa's face turned red. "He's there to talk to," She stood up and yelled directly in Squall's face. "UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE!"

"Maybe a relationship doesn't require talking," Squall said, facing away from his mad girlfriend.

Rinoa let out a long breath. "There you go AGAIN!" She shouted, causing him to turn, "You always talk with authoritive air as if you are the leader of the _world_! You think you know everything, but you don't! You were never there for me; you just want to be around Qui..."

Rinoa was cut short by a slap. Squall, a slapper? Never would have thought.

"HOW DARE YOU!" He yelled, watching Rinoa sink to her knees. "You _always _ASSUME that the world is out to get you---the sooner you realize that you are just another person, the better!"

She said nothing, but held up a hand to where she was positive her face had gone red from the slap. She stood up. "Now..." She said, tears forming and anger rising, "I seem to be the only one to know your true form." Anger flashed across Squall's face and he proceeded to hit her again. She shook her head.

"Don't hit me!" She begged, "I may accuse you of flirting but I _don't _deserve physical abuse...and what would that do for you, your girlfriend walking around school with marks and bruises!"

Just as he was about to hit her again, Rinoa backed out of the room and down the gall. All the way she walked backwards, in case Squall came out after her. After four minutes of walking, she bumped into a wall and stayed there. Nobody came past for awhile, but the first was...

"Oh my god...Rinny?" Selphie.

She nodded. "Hi Selphie. Don't ask what happened."

Selphie walked straight over to Rinoa. "You're hurt!" Rinoa nodded again.

"Squall slapped me after we had a fight...nothing major."

Rinoa ignored Selphie's shocked expression and forced a smile on her face. "Rinny...this _is _major. You might have a bruise for on, let's go to the infirmary."_ But I don't want to go. I want to be alone. _No matter what she felt, Rinoa_ had_ to go. The redness still hadn't faded away, and the cheek was becoming purple. As the two of them walked down the hall, Selphie kept asking questions.

"Were you two arguing again?" Rinoa nodded slowly. This seemed to her the millionth time they had argued, and frankly, she was tired of it all. "Maybe you should just break up with him and find a guy who'll treat you better." Selphie grabbed Rinoa's arm and squeezed affectionately. The sorceress smiled back at her friend. _I should...before it gets any worse. _They reached the infirmary, and the nurse looked at her in pure shock. "Oh my---" She shot out of her seat and examined Rinoa's face. "What on _EARTH _happened to you, dear?" Rinoa felt more tears coming out of her eyes.

_End Flashback_

"I hate this." Rinoa sunk into the sheets of her bed. "Squall, SeeD, Quistis...I hate THEM ALL!" She buried her face into the pillow and screamed. Just as she was about to throw a glass vase full of flowers from her father, someone knocked on the door.

"Go away." The person knocked again, louder. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Rinoa walked over to the door and swung it open. Zell was standing in front of her, his fist right in her face. "Ah! Sorry, Rinoa. Was 'bout to knock again, that's all." He grinned and hugged her, in a _friendly _way, of course. This lightened Rinoa up---a little.


	2. Where's Angelo?

In a new Light  
Chapter 2

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Me, Ash, updating chapter 2! Long time to wait, huh? Chapter will be short I warn you!  
Well, here you are:

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"Well..." Rinoa said cheerfully, "Come in!"  
Zell shrugged and a grin spread on his face. She giggled at his sudden change of attitude. He stopped dead as soon as he was in the dorway.  
"What the hell?!"  
Rinoa looked at him quizzically.  
"Whats the matter?"  
"Your room..." He replied, looking around in awe, "...It's so tidy!"  
Rinoa giggled and put a hand over her face as though she was embarrassed.  
"I like tidiness... I don't really know why... but I can't stand having a messy enviroment!"  
Zell nodded in understanding. "I'll remember that."  
Rinoa sat on a chair, and motioned that Zell should sit down too.  
"So whats on your mind?" Rinoa asked, "You seem adgitated."  
Zell shrugged.  
"You've been on my mind a lot, y'know... I feel for you with the way Squall treats you... he can go to hell on a one way trip via my fists!" And with that he balled his hands into fists.  
Rinoa's eyes widened on two accounts:  
A) Zell wanted Squall to go to hell  
B) She, Rinoa, was on Zells mind.  
"I've.... been on your mind?" She asked quietly, rubbing her eyes.  
He nodded.  
"Yeah."  
They sat in silence for a while as Rinoa thought of all the reasons she could be on his mind. She slid off her chair and over to the couch where Zell sat. She sat down by him and wrapped her arms around Zell.  
"Thank you..." She whispered into his shoulder.  
Zell smiled and put his arms around Rinoa. Whispering back into her ear, he said,  
"Selphs and me are really worried 'bout you," She sighed and pulled away from him, instead sitting down on the bed.  
"Has he been...you know?" Zell didn't want to say the words _abusing you_, but there wasn't really any other choice.  
"Abusing you still?" Rinoa nodded and layed her head down onto the pillow, burying her face. It just seems like such a horrible way to put it -- abuse. But that's what it is. No need to deny it. Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill over, which Rinoa did not fight to hold back. Her body first slowly started to shake, then it escalated to a full out shivering, quivering body and loud sobs into her pillow. Rinoa heard a chair scrape the floor, and then she felt two strong hands on her back.  
"Don't cry..." Zell flipped Rinoa over slowly and stood above her, bending down to caress her face.  
Rinoa still produced tears, even though the way he said those two words sent a warmth through her body. The blonde looked beyond the point of worry, and this also soothed her. She extended her arms out, and he picked her up in one scoop. Rinoa was a few inches off of the ground as she and Zell hugged, her sobbing into his shoulder as he said soft-spoken words into her ears, reassuring her it was ok.

"B-But is it r-r-really?" Rinoa refused to remove her face from his shoulder, so it was hard to understand those words.  
Zell lifted her chin to meet his face, and he said, "It is if you stay away from him." And with those simple yet meaninigful words, he placed a featherlight kiss onto her forehead.  
"Now get some rest."

"But..." Rinoa said, shaking slightly still, "He has a copy of my key card. He might come in still!"  
Zell shrugged and screwed his face up in thought.  
"If he comes in he has me to answer to." He replied, pulling a blanket over Rinoa.  
She grinned, then her face fell as she realised.  
"Hey... where's Angelo?" She said, sitting up suddenly and looking around.  
Zell looked around too.  
"I saw her before... then it got all quiet..."  
Rinoa climbed off her bed shakily and headed for the door.  
"I'm going to find her." She said firmly.  
Zell nodded. "I'll come with you then."  
The two walked out of the room. It was getting dark now and Garden seemed unusually empty. Even though Exams had finished... Rinoa wiped her eyes and pulled her coat on.  
"Do you know which way she went?" Rinoa asked.  
He pointed towards the training area.  
"Oh... alright then, lets go." Rinoa said, showing little enthusiasm.  
They walked in silence... until Zell heard a howling noise.  
"Did you hear that?" He asked.  
"Yes..." She replied, shock appearing over her face.  
"It came from inside..."  
The two stood firmly outside the Training Area,  
waiting. Another howl sounded and Rinoa ran in.  
"Wait!" Zell called, but it was useless.  
He ran after her. He was faster and caught up.  
"Whats this?" Rinoa said, examining a gooey liquid on the floor.  
"Its... blood..."  
It looked like it had had something dragged through it and towards the secret area. Rinoa walked calmly over and stood under a fern tree that had previously met a horrific end? Via some kind of... gunblade?  
"Suspicious... It goes inside..." She explained to Zell, who walked up behind her. The two walked in. Zell saw it immediately, and Rinoa looked around. She felt two hands clamp over her eyes.  
"What the hell? Zell!"  
"I saw it... Angelo... she's... dead."  
Rinoa screamed.  
"Zell... let me go!"  
She tore away from him and came face to face with a mangled body. Angelo lay there, obviously stabbed with broken bones as well. Rinoas hands flew up over her mouth.

"NO!"

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Well, do ya like? If you do, you know what to do! Thanx for reading!


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